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Chloe glances at the clock on the bedside table. ‘It’s nearly ten pm.’
‘I’ve been festering in here for too long. I’m not talking about driving anywhere, just walking from here. I really couldn’t care where the fuck we go.’
‘I’d like that if you’re sure.’
‘I’ll just grab a quick shower first then we can head.’
While Tate showers, Chloe bundles her hair into a ponytail, trying to make herself look half decent, then goes downstairs and makes sure everything is locked. Tate is showered and dressed five minutes later. He grabs a baseball cap and his jacket then takes her hand as they leave the house.
Even on a weekday at this hour there are still a lot of people around. They head towards the seafront and sit on the sand listening to the sea. He wraps his arms around her, holding her close to him.
‘Do you feel any better?’
Tate nods and kisses the top of her head. ‘Bit of sea air is the best hangover cure.’ He takes a deep breath. ‘Chloe, I’m sorry you saw me like that. I don’t know how to make it right with you.’
She turns around to face him. ‘This isn’t about making it right with me. It’s about figuring out why you did that after not drinking for so long.’
‘I messed up, okay? I get that. You’re allowed to be angry with me, Chloe. Shout and scream at me if you want. I deserve it.’
‘I’m not going to shout at you, Tate. I am scared though.’
He tilts her chin up so she’s looking in his eyes. ‘Hey, I’m not planning on doing that again.’
‘Were you planning on doing it yesterday? Did you plan to spend three months in rehab? I’m not an expert, Tate, but I’m fairly sure no one plans to take things too far.’ She pauses, not sure if she should continue. She needs to tell him how she feels but the last thing she wants to do is make him feel worse than he already does.
‘Talk to me.’
‘Okay. When we found you like that on the couch, I thought you were dead.’ She takes a deep breath as the image of him sprawled out like that comes back to her. ‘I was scared.’
His hand drops from her face. ‘Chloe—’
‘No. Let me finish. I was scared because I didn’t have a clue what to do for you. Gregg was brilliant and I just stood there. I realised I don’t have any idea about your addictions.’
She instantly notices his reaction to that last word. He looks away and his shoulders drop a little.
‘I care about you, Tate. I really do.’
‘But?’
She shakes her head and squeezes his hand. ‘There’s no but. I was going to ask if there’s someone at the centre where you were that I could talk to. I don’t mean talk about you personally. I should have known what to do yesterday. But I just stood there and looked at you. Gregg and your family had a few sessions with someone from the centre, right?’
He nods. ‘Yeah. My sponsor talked to them all. You really want that?’
‘Yes – for me as much as for you.’
‘Okay.’ He looks over at her again and nods. ‘I’ll arrange it. I probably should have suggested it first, but I guess I was trying not to bring my problems into our relationship. Messed that up big time, didn’t I.’
He shrugs and stares out to sea for a long few minutes then curses loudly. ‘Sorry. I’m not pissed off with you. I’m well and truly fucked off with myself. I thought I had a handle on it, you know? It kind of snuck up on me. Months of hard work down the drain – literally. For what? A raging headache, and a shedload of disappointment. Fucking waste.’
He squeezes his eyes shut and hits his fist against his forehead. Chloe gathers him into her arms and holds him as they listen to the sea. There’s nothing she can say to him to make it better.
As she holds him, she can’t help looking around the beach. Is the person who’s tormenting Tate here right now? Is he or she watching them? Are they giving themselves a pat on the back for breaking him?
Chloe holds him close as she examines every person walking along the beach. What if the bastard isn’t done yet? They had no issue sending him a bottle of alcohol. Would they take things a step further next time and send him drugs?
The thought is ridiculous, but after what she’s learned the last two days, it’s not something they can rule out.
